Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that two Stamford residents who manufactured and distributed counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl analogues were sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport. ARBER ISAKU, 32, was sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and VINCENT DECARO, 32, was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Isaku and Decaro purchased fentanyl analogues from suppliers in China and, working out of Decaro’s residence at 77 West Hill Circle in Stamford, pressed the drug into counterfeit oxycodone pills, which they sold to customers on dark web markets. David Reichard, who lived for a short time at Decaro’s residence, helped Isaku and Decaro press pills and mail the pills to customers.
On April 3, 2018, a court-authorized search of Decaro’s residence revealed numerous pills containing approximately 330 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, approximately 40 grams of fentanyl analogues in powder form, three pill presses, instructions on how to prepare the fentanyl analogue Carfentanil, a hazardous material suit, a gas/respirator-type mask, and numerous U.S. Postal mail envelopes.
At the time of the search of Decaro’s home in April 2018, Isaku and Decaro were in Europe. On September 21, 2018, Isaku and Decaro were arrested by Albanian State Police as they were attempting to cross the border from Albania into Kosovo. A search of an apartment in Tirana where they had been staying revealed alprazolam, fentanyl and other controlled substances; tools and dies for pressing pills, and instructions for synthesizing fentanyl.
On June 15, 2021, Decaro pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl analogues and, on August 6, 2021, Isaku pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, fentanyl analogues. Isaku and Decaro, who are both released on bonds, are required to report to prison on September 21 and November 2, respectively.
Reichard has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Connecticut State Police and Stamford Police Department, with the assistance of the Albanian State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. Doherty and Margaret M. Donovan, with the assistance of Law Student Intern Mikayla Pieksza.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for coordinating the extradition proceedings in this matter.